7-Eleven, the Japanese-owned convenience store chain, has acquired Skipcart, a four-year-old startup that developed a major network of drivers for fast delivery of restaurant food and other goods in the U.S., according to two people with knowledge of the deal.
The move is significant because it could change how 7-Eleven does business with DoorDash, the food delivery app. Currently, DoorDash’s contractor-drivers deliver orders to 7-Eleven customers who shop through the DoorDash app or use 7-Eleven’s own apps to order food and alcohol for delivery, one of the people said. The other person with knowledge of the deal, which hasn’t been previously reported, said 7-Eleven now intends to compete more directly with GoPuff and DoorDash but declined to elaborate.